Universities: Consciousness Studies

A number of university departments, colleges and institutes in the US and elsewhere offer high quality educational opportunities and perform research in the areas of parapsychology, spirituality, transpersonal and consciousness studies. Below is a growing list of these from around the world. If you are aware of others, especially outside the US, please contact us. Also see the Parapsychological Associations's University Education in Parapsychology.

The IPP has conducted hundreds of workshops, conferences, courses and seminars in the field of parapsychology and related areas. It offers several certificate courses and conducts research into paranormal phenomena.

The objective of the Inter Psi - Anomalistic Laboratory of Psychology and Psychosocial Processes - is to conduct studies and interdisciplinary research at the intersection between social psychology and psychological anomalies, ie the psychosocial assessment of allegedly anomalous human experiences.

The Program for Health, Spirituality and Religion (PROSER) aims to provide therapeutic care, study and research and to investigate and generate information about the relationship between health, spirituality and religion.

Consciousness research is significantly represented in Germany by the Applied Consciousness Sciences research division of the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Regensburg Medical Center, led by Dr. Thilo Hinterberger.

The Institute for Informatics of Consciousness is a research project at Meiji University focused on the scientific and cultural study of paranormal phenomena and altered states of consciousness, such as micro-PK and Near-Death Experience, without believer vs. skeptic prejudices. To realize this project, the speciality of members are interdisciplinary: cognitive science, biophysics, history of science, antropology and journalism.

The Center for Research on Consciousness and Anomalous Psychology (CERCAP ) at Lund University consists of a group of researchers and associates dedicated to the scientific study of unusual but not pathological experiences and events, including reputed parapsychological phenomena. Etzel Cardeña is director of CERCAP .

The Psychology of Paranormal Phenomena Research Group is an emerging research Group that is just beginning to develop a research profile. The group is coordinated by Dr Ian Baker and has a diverse range of interests.

The Koestler Parapsychology Unit (KPU) is a research group based in the Psychology Department at the University of Edinburgh. Established in 1985, it consists of academic staff and postgraduate students who teach and research various aspects of parapsychology, including: the possible existence of psychic ability; belief in the paranormal; the psychology of anomalous experiences; pseudo-psychic deception and self-deception; and the social and historical relevance of parapsychology.

​​​​Located within the Psychology division, The Centre for the Study of Anomalous Psychological Processes (CSAPP) is recognised as a Centre of Research Excellence and is one of the largest university-based research centres devoted to research into exceptional human experience. The centre is concerned with better understanding the nature and place within communities of belief and experiences that suggest a transpersonal aspect to the human condition.

Anomalous experiences and parapsychology can be studied at the UWE Dept of Health and Social Sciences in the third year modules on The Psychology of Consciousness and The Psychology of Religion. One may also specialize in parapsychology or anomalous experiences in the dissertation module under Dr Nicola Holt, Dr Guy Saunders, Dr Jenny Parker or Dr Chris Alford.

The Anomalous Experience Research Unit (AERU) was established in the summer of 2006 to research into the contexts, characteristics and consequences of experiences which suggest anomalous psychological processes and agencies, and exceptional states of consciousness. Although based in the Department of Sociology at York, the Unit seeks to develop interdisciplinary social science research on anomalous experiences.

In January 2014, the University of Washington formally approved the Minor Degree in Consciousness  a first of its kind degree. The Minor in Consciousness investigates the nature, dynamics, and functions of the mind through the perspectives of depth psychology, neuroscience, physics, and contemplative practices.

The University of Alternative Studies offers internet-based higher education degree programs, certification programs, and intorductory courses for individuals with a serious interest in academic parapsychology.

The Department of Psychology is part of the School of Mind, Brain, and Behavior (MBB), and is housed within the College of Science, in keeping with its strong research-oriented approach and scientifically-derived knowledge base.

Drawing on the best of the humanities, social and natural sciences, psychology, and religious and spiritual traditions, Atlantic University's vision is to offer the most unique and distinguished course of scholarship in the field of transpersonal studies.

The Master of Arts in Consciousness Studies program explores the growth, development and awakening of human consciousness. Students examine diverse theories and concepts of the structures and states of consciousness and the processes that lead to personal and developmental inner growth. Through the engagement with somatic awareness practices and by re-establishing the unity of mind-body consciousness, students learn to access intuition and embodied wisdom through personal and transpersonal knowing. Practices of mindfulness and presence are cornerstones of the program. On-site program.

JFK University offers a Master of Arts in Consciousness and Transformative Studies at the Pleasant Hill campus. Courses in new physics, environmental sustainability, and neurophilosophy provide a new scientific paradigm for the study of consciousness and transformation.

Perform in an Indian classical music ensemble. Write a thesis on creativity and social action. Take yoga for credit. Volunteer in a community garden. Study Tibetan. Spend the weekend at a meditation retreat. Intern at the Peace Jam Foundation. Conduct research on the nature of consciousness. These are some of the opportunities available to students that make Naropa such a dynamic educational experience. The Naropa Institute attracted some of the country's most forward-thinking artists and scholars to teach--people such as Allen Ginsberg, Ken Wilbur, Anne Waldman, John Cage, Meredith Monk, and many others.

The mission of Pacifica Graduate Institute is to foster creative learning and research in the fields of psychology, the humanities, and mythological studies, framed in the traditions of depth psychology.

The Rhine Education Center give students the opportunity to learn about the science and practices of parapsychology in a professional and fun environment. Certificates are available in Academic Parapsychology, Parapsychology Research, History of Parapsychology, and Knowledge of Psi Phenomena.

The School of Psychology & Interdisciplinary Inquiry offers both master's degree and doctoral psychology students an option to declare a Specialization in Consciousness, Spirituality, and Integrative Health (CSIH). They offer a Dream Studies Certificate, among others.

A unit of the Department of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia, the Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS) investigates apparent paranormal phenomena, such as: children who claim to remember previous lives, near-death experiences, out of body experiences, apparitions and after-death communications, deathbed visions, psychophysiological studies of altered states of consciousness and psi.

"If you want to get into the field of parapsychology, my best advice is to go to a good, strong undergraduate university, whether there is a course on parapsychology or not. Get a background in psychology, anthropology, physics or some other social or physical science, but also make sure you take at least introductory level courses in other fields (especially psychology, physics and cultural anthropology) so you are familiar with concepts that might have a direct bearing on parapsychological research... Then, when looking for a graduate school, you might attempt to work up a master's program that will allow you to do research or investigation in parapsychological topics."

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